This week, Russian president Vladimir Putin pulled off a COVID-19 three-fer.
- Russia is now running short of of its homegrown COVID-19 vaccine. In “Vaccine Appointments Canceled In Russia As Supplies Of Sputnik V Run Out”, RFE/RL reports that Russia has fully vaccinated only 1.5% of its population, and many Russians are reporting that their vaccination appointments have been canceled due to lack of vaccine. For example, Reuters reported that St. Petersburg (population 5.4 million) received only 15,300 doses of Russia’s two-component vaccine yesterday and that this was the first vaccine shipment to the city since late February.
- Thursday night, Putin personally headlined a mass political rally and concert at Luzhniki Stadium that celebrated Russia’s invasion and occupation of Crimea in 2014. In “Dying For A Dose Of Putin? With Sagging Ratings, Russian President Holds Mask-Optional Rally”, RFE/RL’s Robert Coalson reports, “Tens of thousands of people — mostly maskless and ignoring social-distancing requirements — packed the stadium, which was close to its capacity of 81,000.”
- Earlier Thursday, Putin’s government extended the house arrest of Russian author Kira Yarmysh and three other political activists who support imprisoned opposition leader Alexsei Navalny. The four are charged with urging Russians to violate epidemiological restrictions imposed to fight COVID-19, during mass protests against Navalny’s imprisonment. In “Prominent supporters of Alexei Navalny face ‘indefinite’ house arrest”, the Guardian’s Luke Harding writes that Putin appears to be planning to keep opposition leaders like these under house arrest indefinitely.
Yes, that’s right — if the opposition takes to the streets they’re arrested indefinitely for violating quarantine, but if Putin’s fans pack stadiums without masks that’s OK with the police. It’s Russian justice for you.
Trump and his fellow Republicans are taking notes. When they had power, Russian-like incompetence is how they ran the program for distributing vaccines (“We’re not in charge — blame the states!”), and maskless is how they ran their big political rallies too. If they regain power we can expect them to behave more like their inspiration and guide, President Vladimir Putin, if and when SARS-CoV-2 mutates or another pandemic strikes the United States.